THE ADDRESS BOOK

 IT WAS TIME FOR A NEW ADDRESS BOOK.

I HAVE BEEN USING THE SAME CHRISTMAS ONE FOR OVER 7 YEARS

AND THERE HAVE BEEN JUST SO MANY CHANGES.

FINDING AN ADDRESS BOOK IN THIS WORLD FILLED WITH TECHNOLOGY

IS A TASK.

I COULD ONLY FIND ONE AT BARNES AND NOBLE AND

NONE AT HOBBY LOBBY AND A FEW OTHER PLACES.

I KNOW I COULD HAVE GOTTEN ONLINE, USED MY

AMAZON PRIME AND GOTTEN IT THE VERY NEXT DAY

BUT FOR SOME REASON, I WAS NOT INTO DELAYED GRATIFICATION

AND I WANTED IT YESTERDAY.

I SETTLED ON THE PINK FLORAL ONE, WITH NO CHOICES

TO CHOOSE FROM.

THIS TASK GOT ME THINKING TO THE OLDER GENERATION

AND HOW HARD IT MUST BE FOR THEM IF THEY HAVE

NOT LEARNED TECHNOLOGY.

WHERE KEEPING IN TOUCH MEANT OPENING UP THE OLD

ADDRESS BOOK AND HAND WRITING THAT ADDRESS ON AN ENVELOPE.

PUTTING A STAMP ON IT, AND PLACING IT OUTSIDE FOR THE MAIL PERSON

TO PICK UP AND TRUSTING THAT IT WOULD GET WHERE 

THEY SENT IT. 

IN AN AGE WHEN PEOPLE ARE LIVING LONGER THAN EVER

AND TECHNOLOGY HAS GROWN TREMENDOUSLY

SNAIL MAIL MUST EXIST. 

IT GOT MY MIND THINKING HOW FORTUNATE I AM 

THAT I WAS YOUNG ENOUGH TO LEARN THE COMPUTER BEFORE

IT BECAME THE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.

YET WHEN IT COMES TO MY ADDRESS BOOK, 

I KEEP IT THE OLD FASHIONED WAY, JUST AS MY MOTHER DID

IN HER LONG PINK ADDRESS BOOK,

SCRATCHING OUT THOSE THAT CHANGE OVER THE YEARS.

THERE IS STILL SUCH NOSTALGIA IN GETTING A LETTER

OR CARD IN THE MAIL THAT JUST MELTS ME

SO I KNOW THOSE WHO ARE NOT TECH SAVY MUST 

THRIVE FOR THE HANDWRITTEN LETTER.

I WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE HOME MADE CARDS AND

ADD MY PENMANSHIP TO EACH ONE I SEND.

WHEN GOING THROUGH THINGS MY MOTHER SAVED,

IT IS THOSE HANDWRITTEN LETTERS THAT WERE HER TREASURES.

SOME THINGS ARE MEANT TO STAY THE SAME.